1. Field of the Invention
The presented invention concerns a method and device for sealing or reducing drilled holes or their connection with a tube end or similar connections.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
In practically all technical areas there is a necessity to seal drilled holes such that they are leak-free, e.g. an auxiliary drill hole in the hydraulic or pneumatic branch, or to reduce diameter of the drilled hole for adjusting to new requirements or to connect a drilled hole to a tube end, without having to utilize techniques such as threading, which are susceptible to leakage or which are labor intensive and expensive such as welding or soldering techniques. The latter techniques are often not possible due to the necessary generation of heat.
In a known technique, a drilled hole, e.g. an auxiliary drill hole in the hydraulic- or pneumatic branch, to be sealed without leakage, a stopper cup is inserted into the hole and is expanded by pressing a ball into the open end of the cup. Thus, the cup is radially expanded to press into the wall of the hole thus sealing the hole. In order to reduce a drilled hole by the same method, instead of the stopper cup, closed at the front end, a piece of tubing may be used, and in order to connect the respective drill hole to a tube end, this tube itself has to be expanded into the drill hole.
This technique is expensive, requiring extensive and precise machining, and requires for a leak free press fit of the tubing material at the drill hole walls, a substantial drilling depth and close concentricity between the wall of hole wall and the opposing surface of the device.